Dec 27, 2013

Chelsea was an early 1970s band from New York City, best known for being the band of drummer Peter Criss before he joined Kiss. They released one album, the self-titled album Chelsea in 1971 and then collapsed during the recording of their unreleased second album.In August 1971, the band became Lips (a trio consisting of Criss and his Chelsea bandmates Michael Benvenga and Stan Penridge). By the spring of 1973, Lips was just the duo of Criss and Penridge and eventually disbanded completely.Their sound has been compared to the Moody Blues and Procol Harum

Tracklist:1. Rollin' Along2. Let's Call It A Day3. Silver Lining

4. All American Boy5. Hard Rock Music6. Ophelia7. Long River8. Grace9. Polly Von10. Good Company

8th
album by brilliant Polish ensemble Breakout formed and led by guitarist
/ vocalist / composer Tadeusz Nalepa. Breakout was formed in 1968 after
Nalepa decided to change the name of his previous group Blackout and
reformed it under the new name. The group was fronted by vocalist Mira
Kubasinska, one of the first great female performers of the Polish Rock
scene, and also included on this album keyboardist Bogdan Lewandowski,
bassist Zbigniew Wypych and drummer Andrzej Tylec. Nalepa's musical
background was deeply rooted in Blues, and much of the group's material
was in fact Blues-Rock based, but Prog and Psychedelic influences turned
Breakout into one of the most formidable East European groups ever,
with a broad range of cross-genre musical activities. Breakout had an
immense influence on the Polish, as well as the entire East European
music scene, serving as a beacon to generations of musicians living
behind the Iron Curtain. In their native country Breakout was often
criticized by the Socialist regime for idealizing Western culture and
their music was banned from the media during the peak of the "dark age"
repressions in the late 1960, which eventually only increased the
following the group enjoyed among the young generation. Nalepa, who
composed all of the group's music, worked closely with lyricist / poet
Bogdan Loebl, who supplied the band with highly intelligent and often
controversial lyrics, way above the usual level of Rock lyrics used in
Rock at the time. In retrospect this is a timeless classic and any
connoisseur of East European Rock / Prog will find it phenomenal.
Brilliant stuff!

Dec 9, 2013

The
Peruvian band We All Together, though unknown beyond a core cluster of
cultists, was among the prime exponents of Beatlesque pop/rock in the
early '70s. Led by singer and frequent composer Carlos Guerrero, who
(along with some other members) had been in the Peruvian rock band
Laghonia, they released two albums (singing in English) in the first
half of the '70s. These were fashioned after the lighter side of the
late-'60s Beatles, particularly in the vocal harmonies, melodic tunes
and sophisticated arrangements blending keyboards, acoustic guitars and
electric guitars in a graceful manner. Although Lennon, McCartney, and
for that matter, Harrison's influence, show up in We All Together's
work, they had more of an affinity for McCartney's engaging melodicism
than for the other members of the Fab Four, to the point of covering
some obscure, early McCartney solo tunes. On their second album, they
also reached into some British progressive rock riffs, although the
Beatle vibe remained dominant. With the exception of Badfinger, they may
have been the best band of their time to play in an avowedly Beatlesque
style.

Dec 8, 2013

These were amongst the most dismissible mainstream of "progressive" rock bands from Munich, typical of the mid-1970's I suppose, with a light progressive edge, in the German equivalent of the Audience cum Wishbone Ash type of vein. Andy Marx was previously with the similarly easy listening but more folky styled Tanned Leather.Their debut OUR SUNRISE is only of marginal interest, having some enjoyable moments. We haven't heard the second! Take note of the interesting cast of guests on both of these.
(Crack In The Cosmic Egg)

Dec 7, 2013

Asterix
were a German rock group whose members would later go on to change
their name and form the first line-up of Lucifer's Friend. During the
band's short-lived time under this name they recorded one album in 1970
and released the single "Everybody". (Wikipedia)

Dec 6, 2013

Artist Biography by Paul Collins:Though best known for their membership in The Strawbs, the rhythm section of John Ford (bass) and Richard Husdon (drums) worked together both before and after their '70 -'73 stint with the folk-prog band. Previously with Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, and then The Velvet Opera, the duo moved on from the songwriting disputes of The Strawbs to form Hudson Ford in 1975. The two are well matched: in The Strawbs, Hudson would play low in the mix, often leaving the kit for entire songs to sing or play sitar, while Ford danced into the gap by playing a strongly precussive style of bass guitar. Their sound for Hudson Ford, though, ranged from McCartney-esque soft rock to glam, with a occasional nod to their electric folk past. Their roles broadened as well, with Hudson leaving the drums to others in order to focus on singing and lead guitar, and Ford expanding his vocal and acoustic guitar duties. The debut album "Nickolodeon" was bolstered by by the presence of Rick Wakeman and other studio sharpshooters, and the band scored a hit in the U.K. with the single "Pick Up the Pieces." Each successive album saw a dampening of their impact, though, and the two called it a day in 1977. Soon afterwards, though, the formed two more bands together: The Monks, and High Society.